Knitting-machine.



KNITUNGVMACHINE. APPLICATION mm MAY7.1914.`

patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I. A. MILLS.

. KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IIIA'Y7I1'9I4.v

Patented July 2o, 19,15

2 SHE`ETS-SHEET 2. 'j

Josnrn ALFRED MILLS, or nnnsrou, ENGLAND.

minieme-MACHINE.

f Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1915.

Application and may 7, 1914. seriai No. 836,995.

To au wnom it may concern:

Be it known that ,1, JOSEPH ALFRED MILLS,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, and

a resident of Beeston,

in the county of Nottingham,

England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines,

of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to improvements in and applicable .to circular knitting machines provided with latch needles and of, the automatic type designed for the knitting of stockings and socks.

The present invention has for its obj ect an i f improved form of stitch cam itted to oscillate and to slide to and from the needle cylinder whereby the heel and teo of a' stocking or sock can be knitted upon the long butted needles instead of upon the short butted needles as is usual and by the use of which stitch camv it is rendered unnecessary to move the instep needles out of and into action at thecommencement and completion of a heel and toe, also the combination with Asuch improved stitch cam 4of pickers for moving the heel and toe needles out of and into action during the knitting of the heel and toe and of improved means by which the splicing thread can be positively fedto the long or short butted needles without the use of a movable thread guide.

In the drawings, Figure 1. is the plan of a cam cylinder constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2. is the development of nected parts. cylinder showing also along butted needle lpart of 'a machine with the needle cylinder removed. Fig. 3. is a section of the improved stitch cam carrying bracket and con- Fig. 4. is a section of the cani stem. Fig. l5. is a section of the cam cylinder showing also a short butted needle stem. Fig.'6. is an elevation of the down picker guide, and Fig. 7. is an alternative arrangement of splicing selective cams.

' In circular knitting machinesv of the automatic type fitted with latch needles and as usually const ructed the needlesare divided into two sets of about equal num'bers. The instep set of needles have long butts, and at the commencement of the knitting of thel heel and toe these needles have to be moved to miss the knitting cams and brought into p'sition to engage the knitting cams at the completion of lthe heel and toe. For thus moving the long butted needles, upthrow moved into and out of their operative positions.

According to thisv invention the needle cylinder 1 is provided with a set-of needles 2 which have long butts 3, Fig. 4, and upon these needles the heel and toe are knitted. There is also a set of needles 4 which have short butts 5, Fig. 5, and both sets of needles o' are actuated for circular knitting by a stitch Ac'am 6, mounted upon an axle 7 which is so Acarried in the boss 7 of a bracket 8 carried by the cam cylinder 9 that it can be `drawn away from the needle cylinder to miss the short butted needles and allow ofl these needlesbeing left in their ordinary clearing position during the 'knitting of the heel and toe of the stocking.

The drawings illustrate the application of this invention to a machine fitted with a rotating cam cylinder 9 which is mounted.and actuated according to any usual method. The cam ring 10 1s cut away to form upthrow. cams 11 and 12 for reciprocal knitting and its upper edge may have al single face 18 as shown in F ig.y 7 or a lower face 14 and higher face 15 as shown in F igs.'l 1, 2, 4, and 5, when this ringis to be used as a means for selecting the needles to Vwhich a splicing thread is to be fed.

The axle 7 carrying the stitch cam 6 is located between the 11p-throw cams 11 and its most 7 is provided with a fixed Iiange 19 and with a l-disk plate 2Q which is free to turn upon the boss. There is also a cylinder 21 provided with a iange 22 and with a key 23, Fig. 1, which engages with a slot in the boss 71 and prevents rotation of the cylinder but allows end movement of the same. The

disk 20 is providedv with two or more-in'- pins or cams 24 which engage with' clined suitably shaped slots in thek cylinder flange 22, so that when the disk 2O is turned the cylinder 21 is forced baekward,iand through the lever 17 draws the cam (i, clear of tllei short butts 5.` The lever 17 'is also fitted with a cam 25 which works in conjunction with a pin 26 on 'the end of the cylinder 21, theseV parts `being so designed ltliatwhen the ievei is acusiec so change position of iaiie cam' 6 iwiiis eem is @hewn iosci ibo miss #ne cylinder and euns io iss iorwsmi. oo sition undef the action or' the spying 16 a tei 5 it has psssefi its central positione At the lower pari, of ihe disk 20 there is an arm 26a povideii with s projecting pin 27 by which fthe disk is scfwaiei 'ziiivough stops which are moved into sin?. out of the: path 10 of the piu. 27 by patie'fvi mec-iimism,l also the machine is provi( or inciines which are nieve@ into cui oi' the pa'ii oi" the iruek l@ foi' actueiiig 'she ieveif' if?, the stops molines' herein e-iiefi being construetcci, eiiangei and opsi'siei 'the ne way as simlisz. paris in. oifim'fy 1 A ,sizing insomma Y Tie msozime is movifle Wilnis ov riso.

. im ring, in Rifle iioos sii needies-sie iciiiig fiieao Leie imei heies si icing thread.

ii she @am ningj l Y h enough Ik) si aie cam img of cem cams mici r sheiieeciie if scivsiiceei o uit one g eff 'the iii-si, psi?, of fhe imei ics, to piek domi two needies smi pick up iiseciie during the imiiziiig 60 she sccom part of the heel and toe acco-'fciing zo one of the ususfi meiho'cis of kiiit The ngei 34 is. miie 3'? which. lis

' f tum' siici these @sits are so arranged'. that Wij long ess iipoii iiieiiiieai giii'e 39 he iii contact W161i. sucia guide by@ sping on slfie stile 37. During oiiiiaiy imi@ the needles sising up the cam i2 pass sima the picker 34: Tous when ghe com cyiiiifiei cipioca-tes in the opposite o'ii'eccioii ie direcioii of ciicuisi imiiiiiig the long ou needles pass from the face l5 im@ come with the picker and forceI this pickei' up f inciine guide unt-i1 the bus sie high enen ie pass over the top oi'he sisiicii com 6 which time `[the picker gasses from undef butt and ieiuiifis to normsi posi-ii. The iiigei 35 is simiisi iii eoiiszuc'ios si action io the finger 34, mici i'oi' *the puipi M. i161 of iiodiiig it desi" o' bhe needies during; cusr imit'ziiig, its bioek is pioifide wi virojeciiiig pin 49 :mii iiieic is e pise o frying iiliiiighi".l pins mici ittcoi to #zum o the miie 38. The plaie 43 is eoiiiisc'eci u iiiiis f5 and 46 is an arm i? on the ciisii the stitch cam Gis in position for, cii'c knitting che picker 35 is helci clem' ,o neeies When however the disk 2@ is turned to 'withdrew 'he cam 6 ciesi' si? un' shoi'sbuii'ed neeoiies the picker 35 isis-siesW mi acts Jso pick the needles iii the Way as the pickei 3f I l The down p'iekei 36 vfoiis 'Wiiiiiii s ou f inclined giiide and is mouiiied iii s ciechi 5i simiim'iy o the up pickers. Bosi citiBK @nier miitiiig loe picker is iieioi iiihe posiion shown by a ievei' and spn ncuaseci ca-ch 5G, but when ieiesssoi "oy piitieiii mechanism fiom ille holding ou," iiile picker is moi/soi byits spring 52 to highest' position in iiie guide shown in if (3, and moves to thei'igii and ieii, of so siigion alternately, being I'etumed i, iiigiiesi position aiiei each picking astma he drawings illustrate the gos'itions o iiie vsious parts when the com cyiiiin beii'1g-ieiateci, in the direction iie m, for circula? knitting. iii-Then is iesiiefi io change io reciprocai miiiiing5 as when he heei and toe of s stocking are being; profiuced., Adie disk plate 20 is operated io shift he stitch cam io such s posiiioii die?, i'; 'will cies-i' the neeciics having siioifb buiss, this is (ione on che fissi i'evoiuiioii of die cyiinder and when iiie siisch com is seing upon iiiie needles piovidefi Wiiii i butis. The cam cylinder ccmpiees iis msi., 'fevoiiiioii when he siiich com G is opposi e the short busts, which are then is iiie'c clearing position, and the cam is turned. foi the first ieciprocai movemeniz, and is changedirom one position io another ai the end of each succeeding reciprocal movement of the cam cylinder.l At ihe compieJ niemeer matic knitting machine fitted with a rotating cam cylinder, but they are equally applicable to machines fitted with a stationary cam cylinder and a rotating needle cylinder, also, the improved stitch cam can be used in connection with any ordinary circular latch needle knitting machine in which it is necessary, or desirable, that the stitch cam can be moved away from the needle cylin-` der to allow of such cylinder being readily removed from the machine.

In addition 'to the mechanismherein described there are suitable springs and catches for moving theparts in one direction and for holding them in the desired positions and such parts are arranged in accordance with the usual practice. rlhe machine is also provided with work take up mechanism, thread Vtension devices, and other usual and necessary parts of an automatic knitting machine.

What l claim is, in a circular latch needle automatic knitting machine,

l. lThe combination of a needle cylinder carrying a set of long butted needles and a set of short butted needles, a cam. cylinder having a right hand rip-throw clearing cam and a left hand up-throw clearing cam, and a stitch cam located between these rip-throw cams arranged to be turned to cooperate with either of them and supported so it' may be moved toward the needle cylinder to operate upon all the needles or away from the needle cylinder to operate only upon needles with longbutts.

2. The combination of'a needle cylinder carrying a set ot' long butted needles and al set of short butted needles, a cam cylinder, a stitch camsupported so as to oscillate and also to slide `toward'and away from the needle cylinder, and means arranged to.

cause the stitch cam to movel back from the needle cylinder as it is oscillated to change .its position, whereby itclears the cylinder during` such movement, and then to move toward the needle cylinder into operative position. v

3. The combination of the needle cylinder, a set of long butted needles, a set of short butted needles, a stitch cam fitted to oscillate and slide, the cam ring, a low face on such ring for the short butted needles, a high face on the ring for the long butted needles, a latch guard ring, and a knittingthread hole and a splicing thread hole in such ring substantially as herein described.

' a. The combination of the needle cylinder, needles in such cylinder, a cam ring, a stitch cam, a bracket carrying such stitch cam, a boss on the bracket, a rotatable disk on such boss, a slidable cylinder mounted upon the boss, cam pieces attached to the rotatable ring, cam slots in the cylinder flange, a lever on the stitch cam axle, a cam on the lever,

a cci-acting pin on the end of the cylinder, and a spring tending to keep the stitch cam in its most forward position substantially as herein described.

5. rlhe combination of a needle cylinder, a set of long butted needles, a high face on the cam ring for raising the long lloutted needles high enough to take a splicing thread, and the knitting thread, a set of short butted needles, a low face on the caniring for raising the short butted needles high enough to take the knitting thread only, a stitch cam which can oscillate and be drawn back to miss the short butts dur- -ing reciprocal knitting, a latch guard ring,

and a knitting thread hole and a splicing thread hole in such ring substantially as y herein described.

6. The combination of the needle cylinder, a set of needles with long butts, a set of -needles with short butts, a. knitting cam scribed0 JOSEPH ALFRED MLLS. Witnesses:

WVILLIAM H. POTTER, SAMUEL STEVENSON. 

